The Old Loogie Hocking Ploy

I went shopping with my driver, Marti and nurse, Rosa in a not very frequently visited by gringos neighborhood in Cusco. They tried to tell me to stay out but were a little too tactful in their suggestion. I am not very good at picking up the hints.

We walked a ways into the market and a woman came up to Rosa and whispered in her ear, “Get your friend out of here. They are coming after him.” She was in this process suggesting that I needed to look at something at the edge of the market. I followed her and she was somewhat nervous and kept looking after me. I did not really get it still.

As I walked down the way passing under the little tarps, I felt something on the back of my ear. I thought it was a string. However, the sensation did not go away. I put my hand up to it and it was wet and when I looked at it, it was spit.

I know this trick. They spit on you or throw water on you and then while nice women help you clean up, they pick your pockets. I told Rosa, “Keep moving, they are trying to rob me here.” Just then I heard a woman behind me say, “Oh! Look they have soiled you!”

I just bustled on out of there. It did make me want to rip someone’s nose off. Nevertheless, I just got my hankie out and wiped off my ear while I walked out, frustrating their nefarious desires.